You run a private practice and as a business owner you want to improve your online presence and search ranking. You've heard that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the way to go. So, what do you do? You write on some Facebook groups asking for SEO services to promote your therapy practice. You find an affordable option, perhaps even with some positive reviews, and... This is where your problems start.
Let us explain: We're not writing here about any specific company or offer. But we've seen this scenario a couple of times and it's always the same - therapists are paying for something they think is SEO, whereas in real life, it's just a simple website management service (and that's what we'll refer to in this post as fake SEO).
If you're looking for SEO support for your private practice, please read this post and see what red flags should tell you go to and look for a different provider. But let's start with the beginning. Why are SEO scams dangerous to your business?
Why is fake SEO dangerous?
The truth is, most of the time, fake SEO (also known as SEO scam) will not do much harm to your business (although you need to be aware of the fact that black-hat techniques can get you kicked out of Google and other search engines, thus destroying your search engine ranking altogether, but that's a story for a different article).
But it won't do any good, either. You think you're paying for SEO, and in reality, you're paying for maybe 10%-15% of what SEO actually is.
One time, we've talked to a client who's been working with such a provider for almost 2 years. And their website had worse results than ours after 3 months. Typically, it goes like that:
No blog
No website structure
No keyword research
No content strategy
No high-quality backlinks
And just basic on-site optimization
That's how fake SEO usually works. And the price? Around $200 per month. Sounds affordable, right? And it is, but it's not SEO. What you're paying for is basic on-site optimization, or to put it in other words - website management.
Website management is undeniably important; it’s where SEO starts. But that's like saying "We will build you a house (SEO)" and then, the company ends up doing just the foundation (on-site optimization).
They might tidy it up, clear away some weeds, or add a brick here and there, but the house never takes shape. And the house is what you've been promised, right? That's how it works with fake SEO.
After two years, you're short of $2,400 and the results simply are not there. And they can't be. Why? Because SEO is so much more (expensive)!
Real SEO is an expensive service
And don't believe anyone claiming otherwise. Real SEO entails a whole list of actions and areas that need to be taken care of on regular basis. There are three major areas within SEO, let's have a look at what they entail:
On-site optimization for search ranking
Mobile friendliness
Optimization towards Google's Core Web Vitals
Meta data (meta titles, meta descriptions)
Alt attributes for all the photos and graphics
Internal linking
Ensuring all subpages are properly indexed by Google
Integration and ongoing management of your Google Search Console and Google Analytics accounts
High-quality content strategy
Keyword and key phrase research
A new SEO-friendly structure for your website
Blog with regularly published blog posts (at least 1 per week)
Guest posts to be published on other websites (at least 1 per month)
Backlinks
Regular research for places (websites) to publish backlinks (make sure you don't get backlinks from low-quality sites, they won't help and may damage your reputation on Google)
Communicating and negotiating with other websites' owners
Monitoring the publications
Along the lines, there is competitor research, deciding on what keywords to focus on, what other channels to use (e.g., Google Maps), etc.
Take a look at this SEO timeline we created for a blog post about SEO vs. Google Ads:
That's how real SEO works. Now, ask yourself, can all this be done for $200 per month? Not really.
Real SEO is a long-term ongoing work that requires attention to different aspects of your online presence, especially content-related ones.
Now, let's have a look at what red flags to look for when talking to "SEO agencies".
Fake SEO red flags
There are many types of scams when it comes to SEO services. If you're looking for a SEO company, pay attention to these red flags.
Very affordable service
If you get a quote of between $200 and $500, it is more than likely that you will not get a full SEO service or a very, very limited one. In fact, $500 would be hardly enough to cover the creation of SEO-optimized blog posts for your website...
No keyword strategy
So, the agency/freelancer tells you they will do SEO for you and you can start right away? And what about keywords? What keywords? "Don't worry, we have all the keywords you need!"
Such conversations only mean that there will be no thorough keyword research, a huge red flag for you.
Keyword stuffing
On the other hand, beware of something opposite. Some "SEO agencies" still belive that stuffing as many keywords as possible is the way to go. It isn't. Read more about keyword stuffing. Effective SEO is all about balancing keyword usage and high-quality, helpful content.
No blog
"Yeah, you don't need blog to do SEO!" -> Of course, you don't. But it helps a lot. SEO is 90% about building recognizability and trust. And you can do both when you run a helpful and informative blog full of practical posts written with your ideal clients in mind.
It's the same with additional subpages -> SEO is based on extensive website structure. You can't really do effective SEO with just 3 subpages on your website.
No specific scope of service
If your "SEO provider" tells you that they will do SEO for you but they don't really explain what that is and you don't get a specific list of monthly activities, run. There is a good chance you will get a simple website management service, not SEO.
The same is true when there are no reports or they are very short and vague.
No backlinks
Don't let anyone tell you that SEO is only about what you have on your website. You need backlinks from high-quality sources to back your visibility on Google. If other websites don't link to you (i.e., don't recommend you), you will struggle to build good visibility on Google.
Guaranteed #1 ranking position
No legitimate SEO provider can promise top rankings on Google. Search engine algorithms are complex and constantly evolving, making guarantees impossible.
Google uses their search engine crawlers to analyze and index websites. It's up to those algorithms to decide on where you land in the SERP (search engine result page). The whole SEO industry is all about tweaking websites so that they are more appealing to those crawlers, but Google is 100% aware of that.
If that's what you're being promised, you will likely get:
Misleading reports showing "great results"
Low-quality backlinks (they can work short-term, but will damage your position long-term)
Irrelevant or low-traffic keywords (it's relatively easy to rank high for keywords no one really uses, but it doesn't do any good to your business)
Branded search terms (yeah, it's no success if your website is called "RisingStar Therapy" and you rank #1 for "risingstar therapy" keyword, right?)
Reliance on automated tools
While SEO tools can help with SEO (as we've already mentioned, even tools such as Google Search Console and Google Analytics are mandatory when it comes to SEO), relying solely on automation without manual oversight or customization indicates a low-effort approach. It's something you can easily do yourself for the same or even lower amount of money.
Fake SEO companies and their practices
A fake SEO company can have positive reviews (they are usually amazing at maintaining pristine image online), so be aware of that. Such companies are known for sending thousands of unsolicited emails claiming they have some "secret sauce" that will get you to the very top of Google search.
Be especially cautious when you get a vague email from a random person claiming that your website is in shambles and they will help you get back on track. That's one of the most common SEO scams.
Wrapping up
If you're looking for a SEO provider to help you with your online presence and search engine ranking, be careful. There's more fake SEO providers than genuine ones. Before you sign the dotted line, make sure you ask questions about the service and it's scope.
If the "SEO service" lacks one or more foundational elements we mentioned in the intro to this post, you are NOT getting a full SEO service. That said, don't expect any measurable results nor increase in organic visibility (typically, victims of the fake SEO services have domain authority close to 0).
We really hope this post will help you make an informed decision on who to work with and what to expect from them.